The present invention relates to a device for reproducing recorded information, which device is capable of reproducing a still picture with corresponding audio information.
In a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 197619/86 filed on behalf of the present applicant, a video memory capable of storing video information obtained from a recording medium, for example, a video disk is disclosed. The quantity of video information stored on the disk corresponds to at least one video field. Audio information read from the video disk is sequentially sent out as reproduced audio information, and video information corresponding to a prescribed picture is written in the video memory. The video information written in the video memory is repeatedly read therefrom and sent out as reproduced video information, so that a still picture having an audio portion is reproduced.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a recorded information reproducer for implementing such a method. In the recorded information reproducer, a video disk 1 is rotated by a spindle motor 2 so that information recorded on the disk is read by an optical pickup (O.P.) 3, the output from which is amplified by a preamplifier 4. The audio component of the amplified output is demodulated by an audio demodulation circuit (A.D.C.) 5, and the output from the audio demodulation circuit is supplied to an audio output terminal 6. The video component of the amplified output is demodulated by a video demodulation circuit (V.D.C.) 7. The output of the video demodulation circuit is supplied to a video output terminal 9 through a video memory 8 which is a field memory or a frame memory. A writing clock signal generation circuit (W.C.S.G.C.) 10 generates a writing clock signal locked to the horizontal synchronizing signal or color burst signal, for example, included in a video signal which is the demodulated output from the video demodulation circuit 7, so that the timing of writing of the video information in the video memory 8 is controlled by the writing clock signal. The video information written in the video memory 8 is read therefrom depending on a reading clock signal generated by a reading clock signal generation circuit (R.C.S.G.C.) 11 synchronously with a reference signal generated by a reference signal generation circuit (R.S.G.C.) 12. The video information is written in the video memory 8 only while a writing command signal is supplied from a control circuit (not shown in the drawings) through an input terminal A.
While the writing command signal is supplied from the control circuit, the video information is written in the video memory 8 depending on the writing clock signal synchronized with the video signal. When the supply of the writing command signal is stopped, the writing of the video information in the video memory 8 is ceased. In contrast, the video information written in the video memory 8 is always read therefrom depending on the reading clock signal (of fixed frequency), regardless of whether the supply of the writing command signal is continuing or stopped. As a result, the video information read from the video memory 8 is continuously sent out as the reproduced video information to a monitor 13 through the video output terminal 9 so that a picture is displayed on the monitor.
The recorded information is read from the video disk 1 in a normal reproduction mode. If a viewer watching the display of the monitor 13 stops giving a writing command, at the time of appearance of a picture which the viewer wants to watch, the video information is thereafter not written in the video memory 8. Therefore, the video information last written in the video memory and corresponding to the picture which the viewer wants to watch is repeatedly read from the video memory. As a result, the picture is displayed as a still picture on the monitor 13. Since the reproduction of the video disk 1 remains in the normal reproduction mode, the audio information read from the video disk 1 is demodulated as is, so that the demodulated audio information is supplied as normal reproduced audio information to a loudspeaker 14 through the audio output terminal 6 and reproduced normally. If the writing command is given again, a moving picture is normally reproduced from the time of the giving of the writing command, thereby replacing the still picture. A special reproduction effect of switching to a still picture mode midway in the normal reproduction of the moving picture without interrupting the audio reproduction can thus be produced.
Although the still picture is reproduced by the reproducer when the writing command is stopped, the reproduction of the video disk continues throughout the reproduction of the still picture so that a next still picture which the viewer wants to watch cannot be displayed on the monitor. In order to reproduce the next still picture, the viewer needs to repeat the same procedure in which he gives the writing command to normally reproduce a moving picture and then stops giving the writing command while watching the moving picture, to replace the moving picture with the next still picture. For that reason, the still pictures and the moving pictures can only be alternately reproduced. Sequential reproduction of still pictures cannot be achieved. It is also difficult to reproduce a still picture of the exact frame of the video signal that is desired.